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Rich Widows Target Poor Guys for Marriages of Convenience

Rozalla says she did not want to remarry after her husband died but realised that men kept on hitting on her, to the extent that it was no longer good for her small business.

Rozalla runs Mama Rosa, a popular joint where revellers are allowed to bring their own booze only if it’s ‘rare’ and sleep in guarded parked cars because as a former police officer, she doesn’t encourage people to drink and drive!

“I always thought after Arthur, I was done with men, but I was mistaken,” said the mother of four, breezing to ‘meat’ another new diner, which is serving her rare fire-roasted meats accompanied by local and Spanish beers because her husband supported Real Madrid. “After my husband died I ventured into the hotel business. Half the men I met, you know like if I told them, ‘I’m a widow’, would say, ‘Can I sleep with you?’ That’s the environment I was working in. And, oh the pastor, he told me to live my life and try to forget about Arthur because it could kill me. I’d seen other widows develop psychological problems, or eating disorders, or tantrums.”

However, Rozalla’s explanation does not account for the old guy who hovers around the joint, paying close attention to her, which is what she appears to crave.

“Every woman wants attention. This man provides it. He was our guard. Now he is my driver, both in the car and in bed,” she giggles.

NETSAI

For Netsai, marrying ‘below her station’ as her mother put it was something to be done.

“I did not want a controlling husband. To be frank, a husband with a lot of money will make you fit into their programme. You won’t achieve what you set out to do, believe me I’ve got friends in this situation,” says Netsai. “And sex. Most women I know who are married to a rich bugger don’t have a healthy sex life. The man is always busy, or drunk, or away in the company of other women or even business friends.”

The downside, she said was if the poor man also became a control freak, became jealous of your success or untrustworthy of your friends.

“That’s the nightmare I have. Relatives often tell him he’s giving me too much freedom, then I say, ‘I always had freedom.’” says Netsai.